Debt Collection

The request was partially successful.

Dear Bournemouth Borough Council,

Please provide me with the following information

1. Does the council have a corporate debt strategy? If so, please provide a copy.
2. What is the council’s complaints procedure for residents who have a grievance over a bailiff’s actions, other than referring them to the bailiff company?
3. Does your equality strategy cover debt collection?
4. How much do you charge for a liability order?
5. How long after sending the final reminder do you issue a liability order?
6. How long do you leave after issuing a liability order before passing the case to the bailiff?
7. Which bailiff firms do you use, and when were their contracts awarded?
8. Could you also please provide for the financial years 2010/11 and 2011/12 the following information:
a. Number of accounts issued with final late payment reminders for
i. unpaid council tax
ii. unpaid parking fines
iii. any other debts
b. Number of liability orders issued for:
i. unpaid council tax
ii. unpaid parking fines
iii. any other debts
c. Number of cases passed to bailiffs for:
i. unpaid council tax
ii. unpaid parking fines
iii. any other debts
d. Amount of unpaid council tax revenue collected by bailiffs
e. Average council tax collection rate
f. Amount of unpaid parking fines collected by bailiffs
g. Number of complaints received about the bailiffs used

Please provide the information electronically.

Kind regards

Yours faithfully,

Andy Price

Enquiries CED, Bournemouth Borough Council

If your enquiry is complex or relates to specific personal circumstances
it may take us up to 10 working days to provide the response.

If you are submitting a request for information under the Freedom of
Information/Environmental Information Regulations this automated response
is formal acknowledgement that your request has been received by the
Council.  In most cases you will receive a response within 20 working
days.  If for any reason this is not possible you will be contacted and
advised accordingly.  

Meanwhile you may find the information you require on our website.
[1]www.bournemouth.gov.uk

Kind Regards,

Customer Service team

Bournemouth Borough Council

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Dear Enquiries CED,

Would you please to double check whether you have the answer ready for my enquiries? Apparently it has been delayed a bit now.

Yours sincerely,

Andy Price

Enquiries CED, Bournemouth Borough Council

If your enquiry is complex or relates to specific personal circumstances
it may take us up to 10 working days to provide the response.

If you are submitting a request for information under the Freedom of
Information/Environmental Information Regulations this automated response
is formal acknowledgement that your request has been received by the
Council.  In most cases you will receive a response within 20 working
days.  If for any reason this is not possible you will be contacted and
advised accordingly.  

Meanwhile you may find the information you require on our website.
[1]www.bournemouth.gov.uk

Kind Regards,

Customer Service team

Bournemouth Borough Council

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1. http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/

Enquiries CED, Bournemouth Borough Council

Dear Andy

Thank you for your enquiry if you could send us the original email and the date it was sent l will be able to contact the correct department to chase it up.

Kind Regards

Pauline
Customer Services Advisor
Customer Services
01202 451451
Visit our website: www.bournemouth.gov.uk
Please save paper and print only what is necessary

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Dear Enquiries CED,

Please find the original request on:

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/1...

Yours sincerely,

Andy Price

Enquiries CED, Bournemouth Borough Council

If your enquiry is complex or relates to specific personal circumstances
it may take us up to 10 working days to provide the response.

If you are submitting a request for information under the Freedom of
Information/Environmental Information Regulations this automated response
is formal acknowledgement that your request has been received by the
Council.  In most cases you will receive a response within 20 working
days.  If for any reason this is not possible you will be contacted and
advised accordingly.  

Meanwhile you may find the information you require on our website.
[1]www.bournemouth.gov.uk

Kind Regards,

Customer Service team

Bournemouth Borough Council

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References

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1. http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/

Dear Enquiries CED,

Would you provide any update of this request please? The original request was made on 16-Apr on https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/d..., it has been nearly a month now and no information received.

Yours sincerely,

Andy Price

Enquiries CED, Bournemouth Borough Council

If your enquiry is complex or relates to specific personal circumstances
it may take us up to 10 working days to provide the response.

If you are submitting a request for information under the Freedom of
Information/Environmental Information Regulations this automated response
is formal acknowledgement that your request has been received by the
Council.  In most cases you will receive a response within 20 working
days.  If for any reason this is not possible you will be contacted and
advised accordingly.  

Meanwhile you may find the information you require on our website.
[1]www.bournemouth.gov.uk

Kind Regards,

Customer Service team

Bournemouth Borough Council

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Enquiries CED, Bournemouth Borough Council

Hello Andy have requested for this to be chased up.

Regards

Linda
Customer Service advisor
Customer Services
Bournemouth Borough Council
Tel :01202 451451
visit our website : www.bournemouth.gov.uk

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Dear Enquiries CED,

Would you provide any update of this request please?

The original request was made on 13-March-2013, you can see more details on:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/d...

It has been more than three months now and no information received.

Yours sincerely,

Andy Price

Enquiries CED, Bournemouth Borough Council

If your enquiry is complex or relates to specific personal circumstances
it may take us up to 10 working days to provide the response.

If you are submitting a request for information under the Freedom of
Information/Environmental Information Regulations this automated response
is formal acknowledgement that your request has been received by the
Council.  In most cases you will receive a response within 20 working
days.  If for any reason this is not possible you will be contacted and
advised accordingly.  

Meanwhile you may find the information you require on our website.
[1]www.bournemouth.gov.uk

Kind Regards,

Customer Service team

Bournemouth Borough Council

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References

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1. http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/
http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/

IC Legalteam, Bournemouth Borough Council

2 Attachments

Dear Mr Price,

 

Information Request – Freedom of Information Act

 

Further to your request for information received on 13th March 2013,
please find enclosed the material that you asked for. I would like to
apologise for the delay in providing the data as it was gathered from a
number of sources and it took some time to collate all the information. I
hope that the below response deals with your request satisfactorily:

 

1. Does the council have a corporate debt strategy? If so, please provide
a copy.

Answer: Please see attached Bournemouth Borough Council Corporate Debt
Policy.

 

2. What is the council’s complaints procedure for residents who have a
grievance over a bailiff’s actions, other than referring them to the
bailiff company?

Answer: Please see the following page on the Council’s website:
[1]http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/AdviceBene...

     

3. Does your equality strategy cover debt collection?

 

Answer: No, our equality strategy does not cover debt collection, please
see below link for more information.
[2]http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/CouncilDem...

     

4. How much do you charge for a liability order?

    Answer: £45 Council Tax and £45 Business Rates

 

5. How long after sending the final reminder do you issue a liability
order?

   Answer: A summons is issued after at least after 14 days have elapsed
from the final reminder (requesting the full balance). The summons is
issued giving at least 17 days before the date of the hearing. After the
hearing, a Liability Order can be issued.

 

6. How long do you leave after issuing a liability order before passing
the case to the bailiff?

    Answer: At least 14 days must elapse before passing a case to a
bailiff.

 

7. Which bailiff firms do you use, and when were their contracts awarded?

Answer: For Council tax we use Ross & Roberts and Rossendales. No
contracts are in place.

For Parking we use Newlyns and Equita. No contracts are in place.

     

8. Could you also please provide for the financial years 2010/11 and
2011/12 the following information:

     a. Number of accounts issued with final late payment reminders for:

 

     i. unpaid council tax

Answer: 2010/11 = 21,701 and 2011/12 = 18,610

 

     ii. unpaid parking fines

Answer: 2010-2011 = 3,608 Charge Certificates Issued (Traffic Management
Act 2004) and  2011-2012 = 4,101 Charge Certificates Issued (Traffic
Management Act 2004).

     iii. any other debts

Answer: Records are not kept for Business Rates, therefore we do not hold
this information.

 

     b. Number of liability orders issued for:

i.             unpaid council tax

Answer: Records are not kept of the number of Liability Orders issued,
therefore we do not hold this information.

 

ii.           unpaid parking fines:

Answer: 2010-2011 = 2,375 TE3/9 Debt Registered (Traffic Management Act
2004) and  2011-2012 = 2,898 TE3/9 Debt Registered (Traffic Management Act
2004)

 

iii.         any other debts

Answer: Records are not kept for Business Rates, therefore we do not hold
this information.

    

c. Number of cases passed to bailiffs for:

     i. unpaid council tax:

Answer: Please note that separate records are not held = 2010/11 = 3,314
and 2011/12 = 3,084

 

     ii. unpaid parking fines

Answer: 2010-2011 = 1,867 Warrants issued to Bailiffs (Traffic Management
Act 2004).   2011-2012 = 2,316 Warrants issued to Bailiffs (Traffic
Management Act 2004).  

     iii. any other debts

Answer: Records are not kept for Business Rates, therefore we do not hold
this information.

 

     d. Amount of unpaid council tax revenue collected by bailiffs

Answer: 2010/11 = £960,733.15 and 2011/12 = £895,092.05

 

     e. Average council tax collection rate.

Answer: The current collection rate for 2010/11 is 98.5% and 2011/12 is
98.0%

 

     f. Amount of unpaid parking fines collected by bailiffs

Answer: 2010-2011 = £47063.54  and 2011-2012 = £57742.83

     g. Number of complaints received about the bailiffs used.

Answer: 2010/11 = 14  and 2011/12 = 33

 

To help us assess and improve the services we provide you may receive a
short feedback form.  However, should you wish to provide feedback direct,
you can do so by completing the online form found at:
[3]www.bournemouth.gov.uk/requestfeedbackform

 

If you are dissatisfied with this response you can ask for a review, which
will be dealt with through the Council’s complaints procedure. Details of
the complaints procedure can be found at:
[4]http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/AdviceBene...

 

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of the Council’s review you have
the right to refer the matter to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Contact details for the Information Commissioner can be found at:
[5]www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

 

I would like to apologise once again for the delay in providing the
requested information and would like to thank you for contacting
Bournemouth Borough Council.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Ms V Parker

Access to Information Officer

Information Governance

Legal & Democratic

 

 

Telephone: 01202 454622

e-mail: [6][email address]

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: [7]www.bournemouth.gov.uk

P Please consider the environment before printing this email

 

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